It was mostly a good week for Survivor Pool players last week. Arizona probably cost some, but there were better spots out there so it wasn't a crushing
upset like it could have been. Miami caused a lot of people stress with a terrible performance, but they came out on top in the end even if they needed
overtime against Cleveland. Seattle redeemed themselves with a dominating outing after the farce of the previous week against the Rams. Dallas took care of
business. It was a pretty solid week. Here's hoping for another one. Here's the best of the options for this week of Survivor Pool action:

Cincinnati vs. Miami:
This one is here because the Bengals are favored by a touchdown - a good starting point for finding viable Survivor Pool picks. That being said, I hate the
Bengals here. Cincinnati has not looked great this year, and they were just plain lousy last week. Miami has some defensive threats that can punch Andy
Dalton in the face, and he is wilting this year when challenged. The Dolphins are not great right now, and I hate their QB situation, but I don't trust
Cincinnati nearly enough to trust them with my pool life.

Houston vs. Tennessee:
This is another one that comes to attention because Houston is favored by a full touchdown in some spots. I don't like this game any more than the last
one, though. Picking the Texans means trusting Brock Osweiler, and there is nothing he has done yet that makes me think that that is a good idea. Tennessee
has some issues, and they are far from a contender right now, but it would be far from a shock to see Tennessee in this one. That's my basic criteria - if
I get knocked out in a Survivor Pool I want to be shocked by my fate. That means I can't pick Houston. The way things have looked lately I'm not sure that
I can pick Houston until Bill O'Brien has a new job.

New England vs. Buffalo:
This one is tempting. I mean, Bill Belichick isn't losing at home to Rex Ryan. He just wouldn't ever let that happen. I have to rule it out, though, for
one practical reason - we don't know who is playing QB. At least as I write this nothing has been confirmed. Jimmy Garoppolo could be back. Jacoby Brissett
reportedly has a thumb injury, though reports of how significant it is and what impact it could have vary widely. We could even potentially see Julian
Edelman, the receiver who was a college QB and certainly knows the offense very well. The only thing we know is that it won't be Tom Brady. I'm not sure it
matters who plays, but the uncertainty forces me to look elsewhere.

Washington vs. Cleveland:
Picking whoever plays against the Browns is always a good idea, and this is no exception. Washington becomes much more palatable as a pick here after they
pulled off a huge road win at the Giants to show that they are competent after all. This isn't the best pick we have seen all year, but it is probably the
best we have available to us this week. Cleveland showed a very interesting twist in how they used Terrelle Pryor last week, but that isn't enough - they
still didn't beat a Miami team that was horrible, and Pryor won't be as productive when he loses the element of surprise.

Arizona vs. L.A.:
This game should be a lot more attractive than it is. If you had offered me the chance to lock in this pick after the opening week, I would have been all
over it. Since then, though, the Rams have incomprehensibly found a way to win two in a row, and the Cardinals were just a disaster last week against the
Bills. Carson Palmer, in particular, looked like he had never played an organized game of football before in his life. Palmer could be in for another rough
day as well, because this St. Louis defensive line is more than capable of creating chaos. Arizona should win - especially at home - but both these teams
fit firmly in the camp of squads I just don't understand right now, so I'll stay as far away from this game as I can.

Detroit at Chicago:
I wouldn't at all consider this game right now. If things were different and I was desperate, though, I could potentially see a situation to consider the
Lions. Chicago is just really, really bad. They can't do anything well right now, and they are losing the mental battle as well. Detroit is far from
perfect, but they have been better than their record and should be able to win this one. If nothing else, it's an interesting game from this perspective if
from no other.

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Free Play from Doc's Sports.
Take #231 Minnesota Golden
Gophers +6.5 over Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets
(5:15p.m., Wednesday,
December 26) The Paul Johnson
era will come to an end after
this game and I do not think
he will go out with a blowout
victory. Generally team can
fare well against the option
when they have a month to
prepare for it and that will
be the case with the Golden
Gophers. Minnesota is coming
off their best game of the
season last time out beating
Wisconsin and getting back
the ax for the first time in
well over a decade. Minnesota
has covered 5 straight
nonconference games. Georgia
Tech is 1-4 ATS in their last
5 nonconference games. Take
the points in this game. Do
not miss out on Doc's Sports
Weekend card featuring picks
in basketball, hockey, &
football. Bowl Game of the
Year is coming in late
December and now is the time
to jump on board and let Doc
close out this holiday season
with a bang.Read MoreRead Less

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